Blink
by thefoxypoet
Summary: After the fight in The Valley of the End, Naruto is left with serious doubts about his place in Konohagakure. Meanwhile, mysterious forces beckon him to go on a journey that will take him to the edges of an already war torn and weary world. Rinnegan! Naruto
1. Prologue

Prologue:

"I fucking hate you Sasuke."

He must have said those five words at least a hundred times since entering the Academy, but today, for the first time in his life, he actually meant them.

The target of his hate stared back at him from the opposite side of The Valley of the End with his usual impassive gaze. "Hn," he said under his breath. "So you found the gift that I left behind for you? Good job, dobe, I didn't think that you'd be able to put two-and-two together."

Uzumaki Naruto, the 'most unpredictable ninja', stared at his one-time friend and rival with an expression that was completely alien on his young face: loathing. Never before would he have thought that he could ever feel such hate towards his fellow teammate. But, then again, he never thought that that same teammate would ever kill a fellow Leaf shinobi.

Unnoticed by him, large amounts of Kyuubi's chakra began flowing through his system, changing his eyes to crimson slits and creating a single tail behind him. His canines and hands began to change into fangs and claws, and his hair became a shaggy mess. His thin, whisker-like scars began to darken and become more pronounced, making him look more demonic by the second.

"You know," the Uchiha began as he watched the blonde's transformation with a growing smirk on his face, "I knew that we would fight today, but I wasn't sure if you'd give it your all. I figured you'd call me out for leaving and try to drag me back. That's why I killed him. In case you're wondering, that's called 'initiative', dobe."

Kyuubi-Naruto snarled in outrage, but (barely) managed to keep himself from attacking. "You killed him…because…of me?" he spat out.

An almost wistful look appeared on Sasuke's face as he watched his former teammate's face go through a whole range of emotions, from grief, to disbelief, and finally to pure, unadultered hatred. "Now you know where I'm coming from."

What little self-control Naruto had disappeared at that instant as a _second _tail appeared behind him. The jinchuuriki let out a tremendous roar that even made the Uchiha take a tentative step backwards and disappeared in a blur of motion.

A moment later, Sasuke doubled over in pain as punch after punch began connecting with his midsection. The blonde's fists were like sledgehammers, and, to make things worse, each punch came harder and faster than the one before.

Halfway through the assault, however, the Uchiha managed to activate his Sharingan and the first level of the Curse Seal. He felt a wave of both chakra and adrenaline flow through him, giving him the power (and much needed courage) to begin his counterattack.

Sasuke managed to redirect and dodge two punches before Naruto got annoyed and sent a tractable, extendable chakra claw to grab him. The Uchiha ducked under the claw's first strike, but, even with his Sharingan, didn't anticipate it turning in midair and wrapping around him. Sasuke grit his teeth to keep a scream from escaping as the caustic chakra burned his skin and threw him from one side of the cliff to the other without much effort.

Much to Sasuke's relief, the grip that the chakra claw had on him began to lessen and he was able to weasel his way out of its grasp. His moment of respite didn't last long, however, because as soon as he was free, Naruto began to charge him with a red Rasengan in hand. He was in front of Sasuke in the blink of an eye, prepared to shove the overcharged Rasengan through the bastard's chest.

And at that exact moment, Sasuke's world stopped.

His Sharingan and instincts both screamed at him to move out the way, but he ignored them both and instead stared straight into the demonic orbs of the jinchuuriki. He had only ever read about this sort of happening in the ancient Uchiha manuscripts, and he was more than eager to test it out.

Months of Sharingan training paid off as he began to feel a pulling sensation at the back of his mind. He was blinded for a second, but his vision soon returned and he found himself in a strange new place. He blinked in confusion until realization began to dawn on him. _'The dobe's mind _would _look like a sewer.'_

It didn't take long for Sasuke to stumble upon the massive cage that kept the Kyuubi at bay. He was mildly surprised when he saw the dobe conversing with a physical representation of the fox that was made up of…bubbles? He broke out of his musings, however, when the chakra construct of the fox set its eyes on him. He suppressed a shiver and reminded himself that he was the one who was in the position of power.

"You're pathetic, Naruto," he said without taking his eyes off the fox, "Even with a Sannin as your teacher, you still rely on the fox for everything. And here I thought that you would actually challenge me enough for me to actually have to use my new power."

When he didn't hear a reply to his taunting, Sasuke turned his head and his three-tomoe Sharingan met the glare sent by his best friend's azure eyes. "Surprised that I know about your little secret, dobe? The Council saw it fit to inform me about it after the mission to Wave. With Kakashi's help, I was able to gain a mature Sharingan that I could use to…put you down if you ever got out of hand.

"You're lying to me," Naruto countered. "Jiji would have never allowed something like that to happen. He knew that the seal keeps everything under control."

Sasuke gave the fox-shaped chakra structure in front of him a once over, "Under whose control exactly?" He ignored the comeback that Naruto sent his way and continued as if nothing had happened. "You know what I find ironic? Those idiots have a near perfect weapon under their thumbs, but they choose to hinder and weaken it because of their fear. You should follow my example and leave, dobe- it's not like you have anyone else there that actually cares for you or wants to see you improve."

Halfway through Sasuke's speech, Naruto began to regain his bearings. "Hmm…You think that Konoha isn't pushing you hard enough, so you decide to leave. But before leaving, you decide to kill your teammate's special person. Then, instead of ending your teammate's life immediately, you go on and taunt him about his loss and about his failures and shortcomings. Correct me if I'm wrong Sasuke, but it looks like you're turning into another Uchiha Itachi."

The Uchiha's pale face began to develop a reddish hue and his Sharingan began spinning so quickly that it looked as if the tomoe created a second ring around the pupil. "I'm nothing like _him_…NOTHING!" he spat out with the ferocity of a rabid dog.

"You know what, teme? You're right. You guys are nothing alike. Your brother actually had the _balls _to completely fucking _slaughter _his own clan before leaving. How many people was that Sasuke? Seventy? Eighty?" An icy chuckle escaped from Naruto's lips. "Eighty village elite compared to one academy teacher; that looks like a pretty damn big gap in power to me."

A glint of insanity appeared in the Uchiha's eyes and his expression turned even more murderous. "Look at yourself, you loser. Even if you somehow manage to live past today, what will you do with your life? Are you going to go back to that village where everyone hates you? Don't give me that look dobe! You think Sakura or Kakashi give a damn about you? What about the rest of the Rookie 9? All they see is a dead last reject who _somehow _got lucky enough to win a couple of fights by the skin of his teeth. How does it feel to live in a village where no one will ever respect or acknowledge you?"

"You can bet your ass that you won't be moving up in rank anytime soon anyway. Those people that you strive to protect will fight tooth and nail to keep you from improving. Face it- the only two people who have ever acknowledged you in Konoha were Iruka and me. Iruka is dead and I'm a deserter. Whether you live or you die, Naruto, you still lose."

A booming laugh echoed throughout the chamber. Both boys instantly swung their heads to the source and almost hit themselves when they saw the bubble construct of the Kyuubi staring down at them. **"No continue. It's not like there's a big, bad ****_demon_**** in the room."**

Sasuke managed to recompose himself faster than Naruto and was the first to reply. "Tch. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you Kyuubi. Your cage is a little difficult to ignore."

The construct seemed to swell up and grow even fatter. **"What's this I hear about your clan being wiped out by a single man?"** the fox asked in a condescending tone. **"Insanity has run rampant in your clan for centuries; it was only a matter of time before those cursed eyes of yours proved to be your clan's undoing. Worry not, little Uchiha, the kinslayer will receive my blessing when I meet him in hell."**

Although the Uchiha managed to hold up fairly well against the demon's taunts, he was still shaking from the rage that he felt. However, an almost imperceptible pressure in the back of his eyes reminded him that he was running on a time limit and that he needed to end this quickly.

"I don't understand why you're so smug when I'm the one in charge here," Sasuke said while raising a hand to get a good grip on the bubble-construct. "It doesn't matter what you say. In the end, even the most powerful of the Bijuu is at the mercy of the Sharingan." Sasuke's grip tightened and the construct of the Kyuubi exploded into thousands of red chakra bubbles.

Demonic laughter filled Kyuubi's chamber. **"I'm ****_shivering, _****Uchiha."**

A pair of fury-filled, crimson eyes lazily opened behind the cage and stared into the Uchiha's Sharingan. The slight pressure behind Sasuke's eyes began to morph into a throbbing pain, and then into a full migraine. When the demon's eyes closed again, the connection broke and Sasuke felt himself forcefully ejected from Naruto's mind. Even though that went worse than he expected, Sasuke still felt satisfied.

In the real world, Naruto had barely managed to move an inch since Sasuke's 'visit'. The Uchiha smirked when he saw the fox's chakra literally begin to dissipate right before his eyes. His satisfaction was short lived, however, as he began to feel an incredible pain in his eyes. If he had to describe it, he would say that if felt like dozens of hot needles were just shoved into each iris. So great was his discomfort that he completely forgot about the charging Naruto.

For his part, Naruto was also just coming out of his daze. The sudden loss of Kyuubi's chakra weakened him more than he cared to admit. Despite that, Naruto still saw himself holding the advantage. When he was using two-tails worth of Kyuubi's chakra, he could move pretty fast. In fact, he took advantage of that speed when he formed a Rasengan and closed the distance between himself and Sasuke in the blink of an eye. The loss of Kyuubi's chakra may have made his Rasengan disappear, but the momentum was still there. Being an innovative spirit, he took full advantage of his situation and turned the tables around. No Rasengan? No problem. He just made his hand into a fist and instead threw a monstrous punch that would have made Tsunade proud. The punch connected straight with the Uchiha's jaw and sent him flying down the Valley.

Naruto ran in the direction that Sasuke flew as fast as his legs could carry him, only to find the Uchiha on his knees, clutching his face, and struggling to get up. "You son of a bitch! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY EYES?!" he screamed so loudly that Naruto almost took a step back. That was, beyond a doubt, the only (and probably last) time that he had heard the Uchiha scream.

The Uchiha looked at Naruto from his kneeling position and Naruto was able to make out the blood that was gushing out of his eyes. _'Tears of blood. What a poetic bastard. I didn't think the fox had it in him.'_

A transformation began to occur in front of Naruto's eyes. Sasuke's skin turned black, but then lightened to a purplish-grey sort of color. The single darkest spot on his skin was the black cross-shaped mark located on the bridge of his nose. His hair became longer and his hands changed into claws. The biggest change was the two leathery, claw like wings that sprouted from his back. When the 'level two' Sasuke stood up and fully faced Naruto with his bloodstained face, he looked like a picture perfect bloodthirsty psychopath.

The demonic Sasuke began a short series of hand seals, which Naruto promptly recognized, and _black _lightning began to form in his hand. The unbearable screech that filled the Valley was enough to send a shiver down Naruto's spine. By the time Naruto managed to form his own Rasengan in defense, Sasuke was already in front of him ready to shove the Chidori into his chest. Naruto raised the Rasengan so that it was level with the Chidori, and the two attacks collided.

Luck wasn't on Naruto's side. He always felt weak after using Kyuubi's chakra, but now he felt even worse because that chakra had just been forcibly sealed away by that damned Sharingan. With his main advantage unavailable to him, Naruto was, to put it lightly, screwed.

The Black Chidori ripped through his Rasengan as if it were paper, passed through his arm (creating a deep wound that was immediately cauterized), and pierced through his chest.

The strength left Naruto's legs and he found that the only thing that was supporting him was Sasuke's arm. Sasuke noticed his trouble with standing and smirked, his obsidian eyes alight with mirth. He leaned in a little closer, all the while twisting his arm to make Naruto's wound even deeper, and whispered into the blonde's ear, "I didn't go for the kill because I wanted you to suffer for whatever you did to my eyes."

Naruto tried his hardest to keep awake for as long as possible, but his efforts were in vain. Black spots began appearing in his vision and his eyelids felt like weights. The last thing that he was able to make out was Sasuke taking his hand out of his chest and seeing the bastard walk away. Without the teme's support, he only managed to stay standing for a few more seconds before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

As soon as his knees touched the ground, a fresh wave of pain hit him, and he was out like a light.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- 0-0**

As always, Naruto isn't my creation and I own nothing associated with it.

I've been away from the fanfiction community for a pretty long while, but for some odd reason I've gotten interested in it again. I found this little snippet that I wrote a while back and figured it would make a good start to a story. It's dated, and I'm sure by now it's more than a little cliche. I also know that the characters are pretty OOC. However, it's fun to write, and I have a little bit of free time on my hands. I'll be chugging out chapters as long as the ideas keep coming. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it.

P.S. I like my ninja to be dark and manipulative. Look underneath the underneath ^^


	2. Part I: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_He stood alone in a wasteland that seemed to stretch on for miles. Acre upon acre of land, as far as his eyes could see, was completely devoid of life. The landscape would have looked like a desert, had it not been for the murky gray sky. And yet, the scene was an improvement. The world had been crying for him for the past two weeks, and today was the first time that it showed even a shred of restraint. _

_No one wanted to see him go. The people worshiped him like a God, and were claiming that they would forever and always cherish his guidance. His sons both loved him and claimed that they weren't fit to keep the peace because neither held even an inkling of his power. His connection to nature was pristine, and his was the power to control all of the known elements. _

_But on the inside, he was growing weary. He had come to terms with the fact that he would die a long time ago and, if he was to be honest with himself, couldn't wait until the day came. Yet there came a point in his life where he simply stopped feeling the effects of aging. His body stopped responding to the natural course of life and maintained the same appearance for decades to come. Luckily, his mind also remained unmarked by the touch of time. With age came wisdom, and with wisdom came a clearer view of the way the world worked._

_He saw the way that his people, his students, and even his sons looked at him. They saw him as their ruler, not as their teacher. He wanted future generations to remember how he spread peace through his teachings, not through his will. He was a peacemaker above all else. _

_His purpose in life was nearly complete and his vision for a better world was within the reach of his fingertips. But he knew, deep within that he was now at the most critical stage of the entire design. His actions within the coming moments would determine the course that mankind would take for _millennia_ to come. _

_Humankind was closer to true peace than it had ever been before, and yet his heart was at a crossroads. He knew that if he continued to rule as he had in the past, that humanity would prosper and grow as never before. The quality of life would continue to improve dramatically, and his children would flourish. His victory would be guaranteed. But he would be the sole engineer of this state, and he would forever be in the position of puppet master. His vision would be complete, but only to the extent that he remained involved as a crutch. _

_But he had faith in his children. He knew what they were capable of and the tools that lay at their disposal. They had learned much from him and his teachings over the years. Each man, woman, and child had his or her own shortcomings, but overall he was proud to call them his own. He knew that without his supervision, they were capable of many terrifying and evil things. But their potential for good was far too great to ignore. On their own, they could beckon in a true Golden Age for humanity. _

_Such an opportunity was simply too great to ignore. And so, the old Sage realized, without a moment of hesitation, what he must do. _

_With his resolve set, he would finally be able to achieve peace with the one being that he could never fully convert- himself. With more than a hundred-and-fifty years of experience under his belt, he knew quite well the pain of loss and the terrors of war. He had started out his quest in his early twenties, during a time when war was the only constant. With the power of the Rinnegan at his disposal, he was able to set his once childish dreams into motion. _

_With his eyes, he saw everything. He could see the intricate workings of the human body and how and why nature acted the way it did. He saw into peoples' minds, into their deepest fears, ambitions, and desires, and he saw through their motives. He knew if another was being dishonest, or if someone was going to die soon. He could see past the realm of the living and into the depths of space, where beings that even _he_ could not comprehend resided. Sometimes, he even caught glimpses of the distant past or the far future. _

_But all of those things paled in comparison to the Rinnegan's greatest power- the power of creation. There were surprisingly few things that the Rinnegan wouldn't allow him to do. In a world filled with war, he created peace. When he was in need of a way to make his teachings desirable and interesting to the scattered remnants of society, he created jutsu. When he was still under the impression that peace could be forced upon others, he forged contracts with the heavens, and signed them in his own blood, just to crush those who spat upon his ideals. _

_Any other man would have thought himself divine. _

_The Sage did not._

_He knew that the peace that he built so far was fragile and could easily be broken, but he also knew that his students would do everything in their power to spread his teachings far and wide to the coming generations. The type of peace that he would create had much more potential to last than a peace that was created through an iron fist. _

_Despite how much he wanted to believe that his peace was permanent, he knew deep down inside that somewhere down the line someone was going to screw up. Humanity was synonymous with change, with growth. He knew quite well that human beings were capable of doing very great and very evil things. Eventually, his era of peace would end, and his greatest hope was for it to evolve into something greater than before and not into a continuation of the pointless warfare that plagued the planet before his arrival. _

_And that was when he was finally able to catch up with his thoughts._

_He observed the wasteland in front of him with a deep-rooted sadness. He hated to resort to something so drastic to further his goals, but it needed to be done. _

_One of his greatest fears was for his work to be undone after his death and for the world to be plunged back into darkness. He wasn't sure when, or even _if, _he would die, but he knew that he wasn't up to testing those limits. It always bothered him knowing that his strength only seemed to increase with his age, despite the fact that he was over a century old._

_But that would soon end._

_The foundation for his plans on this world was already laid out, and now all he needed was a failsafe for future generations. He had mulled over what he should do for a long while until he came up with the perfect way to watch over his children years after his death. _

_His heartbeat began to pick up as pure power began to flow through his chakra coils. He closed his eyes, savoring the soothing rush for what was perhaps his last time. It took him all of ten seconds to channel enough chakra to tear a normal human's body asunder. He didn't feel the slightest discomfort._

_It was several minutes later that he began to feel himself reaching his limit. He ignored his body's protests to stop and instead focused on the circular seal drawn over his sternum. After some mental prodding, the seal gave away and wave after wave of chakra swept through him once more. His body, not being able to handle so much chakra at once, began to leak the energy until it literally began to seep through his skin and form into the shape of a tremendous dome. _

_When he finally finished, he raised both arms to the sky above him and slowly began to close his hands into fists. The more his hands closed, the more the chakra surrounding him compressed and returned back into his body. By the time he was finished collecting all of the ambient chakra, his fists were shaking from the effort that it took to compress such an enormous amount of power. He didn't relent though, and he held the chakra in check for several more seconds in order to position for the upcoming technique. _

_A single tear fell from his eyes as he whispered two words that echoed throughout the land. _

_"Chibaku Tensei."_

_And then, the world exploded._

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- 0-0**

As always, Naruto isn't my creation and I own nothing associated with it.

Here's another short chapter that I managed to write in a short amount of time. It might be a little while before I update again because I want to figure out the details of where I want this story to go.

Let me know what you think!


	3. Part I: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Naruto opened his eyes, he immediately knew that something wasn't right. He could tell that he was in a hospital by the smell and look of the room he was in, but for the life of him he couldn't remember how he got there. His vision was slightly blurry, and there was a dull ache pulsating throughout his body which seemed to center around his chest. He managed to sit up on his elbows with great effort, but anything past that was too much work. His body just felt too weak.

It took several long moments for the fog to clear from his mind. With a jolt, he remembered the circumstances that landed him in the hospital, and his mood instantly took a turn for the worse. _"I really thought the bastard had me there."_

It left a bitter taste in his mouth knowing that his own teammate had killed Iruka and then abandoned the village in search of power. Although Naruto had always known that Sasuke was…well, a bastard, he had never imagined that the Uchiha had thought so little of the village he grew up in. This was a side of him that Naruto had never seen before. It was darker, and so much crueler than what he was used to. It left a bitter taste in Naruto's mouth knowing that this hatred had always been simmering just beneath the surface, and that he had never noticed it. Maybe if he had been more observant he could have done something? Maybe he could have prevented Iruka's death?

Whether he had done so intentionally or not, Sasuke had always been able to get a rise out of him. To some extent, Naruto had become used to his former teammate's insults. But his words in the Valley of the End brought back pains and memories that Naruto had long ago stopped acknowledging. He had no doubt that Sasuke had been trying to set him off like always, but…was he really lying? The stuff about his friends not accepting him, Naruto didn't really give a damn about. He would get them to his side no matter what. But what had Sasuke said about Kakashi helping him train his Sharingan in order to put down the Kyuubi? Surely there was some truth in that.

Naruto tried to think back to the last time he had seen Sasuke use his Sharingan. He wasn't sure how those eyes worked, but he was pretty sure that Sasuke hadn't had all three tomoe in each eye, last time he checked. That made him more than a little angry, knowing that the higher ups didn't trust him, even with all the things he'd done to protect the village.

But before Naruto could finish his line of thought, he heard his door click open. He looked up just in time to see the figure of the Godaime Hokage rush up and envelop him in a gentle hug. Despite his gloomy mood, Naruto couldn't help but smile at the affection that the older woman showed for him. "Baa-chan…" he grumbled weakly, realizing that his throat was too dry for him to speak. Senju Tsunade quickly let go in order to pour him a glass of water. She handed it to Naruto, and watched him drink it with a penetrating stare.

"Don't you EVER scare me like that again, brat. When you were brought in here with that hole in your chest, I honestly thought that you weren't going to make it."

Naruto let out a nervous laugh after gulping down the water. "Sorry Baa-chan, I guess I overdid it a little. I'll try to be more careful next time," he said in an effort to lighten the situation.

"You'd better! Hold still for a moment, I still need to look you over. You're awake now, but you're not completely in the clear yet. It's only been two days since you got here! It's remarkable that you're even capable of breathing on your own."

As she was examining him, Naruto took an opportunity to study the woman who had saved his life. She didn't look a day over twenty-five, and with her young face, hazel eyes, and blonde hair, she looked more fit to be a model than a Kage.

But up close, Naruto could see through her young appearance. There were dark marks underneath her eyes that weren't there before and her hair didn't look like it was completely combed through. Her clothes also had wrinkles in them, something that he knew Shizune wouldn't normally allow. She had clearly been under a lot of stress lately. He was sure that her recent appointment to the position of Hokage and his brush with death had more than a little to do with that.

Her hands traveled from his chest and up to his temples before they stopped glowing with the light green chakra. Naruto took this opportunity to ask the first question that came to mind, "Did everyone else make it back ok?"

"Everyone came back alive. The Hyuuga and Akimichi boys suffered some serious injuries, but nothing life threatening. If it hadn't been for the Suna team that came along to help, things could have turned out a lot worse. You're the one who had me worried the most. That injury was something fierce. If Kakashi hadn't brought you back when he had, I wouldn't have been able to save you," she finished with a grim look on her face. "Bright side of things is that you're recovering nicely."

"At least we're all ok," Naruto muttered before he lowered his eyes and shook his head. "I wanted Sasuke dead, Baa-chan. When I saw him in the Valley, I realized that I didn't want to bring him back or change his mind. I wanted it to be _my_ hand piercing through _his _chest," he confessed in a quiet voice.

For a long moment, Tsunade kept her silence as she examined the boy lying on the hospital bed.

"Brat…Naruto," she finally spoke up. She waited for Naruto to raise his head before continuing, "I'm not going to tell you that what you feel right now is right or wrong. That's for you to decide. My job is to see that you heal properly, both physically and mentally. Have you thought about what happened to Iruka at all?" Seeing the blonde shake his head, she pressed on, "Then I'll tell you this. You can't solve your problems by putting them all in the back of your mind and suppressing them. I never met the man personally, but I'm sure that if he really cared about you he wouldn't want you doing this to yourself. If you want to talk, I'm here and I always will be."

"I know, Baa-chan. But I just need a little time to make sense of everything that's happened so far. It's been a long few weeks." Naruto said. And it was true. First the old man was killed during the invasion, and then Sasuke defected, murdering Iruka in the process. It was a lot to take in at once. He preferred to take things as they came, and he didn't like to dwell on the negatives. If he followed the road that those thoughts typically took him, he knew that he wouldn't end up anywhere good. He needed _something_ to kill time with. He couldn't wait to put his body to work after he was healed up.

"I think that's exactly what you need right now, Naruto," she agreed. Then, taking care to choose the right words, Tsunade said "I think it would be best if you took a break right now."

Seeing Naruto's confused expression, she continued, "A vacation, a retreat, a holiday- call it whatever you want. Just make sure that, for the next month or so, you _relax. _That means no missions and no duties. Oh, and your leave will be fully paid for so you won't have to worry about the money."

Tsunade mentally cringed when she saw the emotions flash across Naruto's eyes: disbelief, hurt, anger, until finally, they went blank. The look on his face chilled her to the bone, not only because it was so foreign on the boy's face but also because it reminded her of the boy's father when he got upset. That look alone almost made her reconsider her decision.

But Tsunade knew better than to yield to the boy's wishes. Although she knew that the kid could bounce back from just about anything with a smile on his face, she also knew that he had been through way more than a normal person would be able to handle. These past few weeks had been especially harsh on him. In the last month alone, he defended the village from destruction by defeating another jinchuuriki, lost surrogate grandfather and an older brother figures, and was nearly killed by a traitor (who subsequently used to be one of the kid's best friends). From Jiraiya's reports, she also found out that he had recently started actively tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra. Who knew what kind of effects all of that combined would have on his psyche?

She had been monitoring the state of his mind while he had been sleeping and had performed a brief examination after he awoke. Although she hadn't found any noticeable psychological damage, she wasn't feeling altogether confident in the condition of his mental state. She recognized the weary look in his eyes as he lay half sitting in the hospital bed. She had seen that look too many times on the faces of too many fellow shinobi after they had one too many missions or lost one too many friends. This wasn't a look that she wanted to see on this particular young face.

Even if she weren't a medic, she would be able to smell the upcoming psychological meltdown a mile away. She would much rather force the kid to take a breather and recharge rather than put a time bomb back in her ranks.

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"This happens even to the best shinobi, kid. Let me make it clear, this isn't a punishment. Don't think into it too much- you'll be making the same orders when you're Hokage. "

Naruto's stare grew even more intense, but Tsunade just folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to continue.

"You're not telling me everything."

Well that certainly threw her into a loop. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not telling me everything," he persisted. "I can tell when people lie to me, you know, so don't even try it. Just tell me the truth. Please."

Instead of answering him immediately, Tsunade went to find a seat in a nearby chair. She thought for a moment about how to best phrase her response. "You have to understand, Naruto, that everything Sensei and I have done for you are in your best intentions.

"Traditionally, people in your _unique _position have been exploited by their villages. A jinchuuriki wields terrifying power, and, understandably, the two most common reactions when people come across one are fear and greed. Fear because of the damage you are capable of causing; greed for much the same reason. Most times, decency is scrapped altogether and the child is raised as nothing more than a weapon for his village.

"Konoha is a beautiful village if one ignores the roots that grow underneath the surface. The people who would want to weaponize you have always been there, and they will jump at the first sign of weakness. They know about the losses that you've suffered, and they've seen you begin to use the Kyuubi's chakra. They've smelt blood, and I'm afraid to see how far they'll go to get what they want. They won't do anything drastic like physically harm you or kidnap you- I'll make sure of that. But they may take a more indirect route to chip away at your image.

"They may, for instance, spread rumors to the public that the seal is weakening, and they would use your mental state and your repeated use of the Kyuubi's chakra as evidence. Clearly, you and I both know that the seal is as strong as ever. But fear is a powerful motivator, and it isn't difficult to turn the public against something they fear. Once lost, a reputation is a tough thing to earn back. You won't be able to become Hokage if half of the village refuses to look you in the eye.

"Now you see where I'm coming from. I want you to take a break because not only do I want you to recover, but also because I want the other side to cool down. You'll be spending your time in a secure location known only to a select few. Cheer up though. Jiraiya promised to take you on a training trip once this whole ordeal is over with."

Naruto listened to the explanation with rapt attention. He wasn't used to hearing about his home in such a blunt fashion, but everything that Tsunade said made sense and sounded true. He would definitely think about it some more later.

"That makes sense, I guess," he replied, and then with a sudden thought, "But why can't I just go with Ero-Sennin right now? Why do I have to spend an extra month in Konoha? And where would I have to go? You seem to already have a place in mind."

Tsunade nodded, "Fair enough questions. At the moment he's spreading counter-information about your whereabouts so that when you two leave, you'll be able to do so a step ahead of your enemies. And as for where you'll be going...The place used to be an old home of the Shodaime."

Seeing the surprised expression on her fellow blonde's face would have made her laugh if the situation wasn't as serious. "Trust me, it's not as incredible as it sounds."

"Alright Baa-chan, I guess I can deal with that," Naruto conceded. He didn't like backing down, but he knew a lost battle when he saw one. Tsunade made some decent points, and he wasn't too keen on making the general public hate him more than they already did. "How much longer do you think I'll have to stay here?"

Tsunade would have laughed off the question if it had been from any other patient who had just survived an assassination jutsu that had pierced through his chest. But she knew better. She wasn't dealing with an ordinary patient today. "I'll let you go to Iruka's funeral in two days, and if you're feeling alright after that light excursion, I'll let you out the next day. This was a serious injury, and I want to make sure that it heals properly."

"Thanks for everything, Baa-chan."

Tsunade stood up and prepared to leave. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've got to check up on my other patients and get started on the paperwork. Uchiha's departure rustled more than a few feathers."

The smile that graced Naruto's lips made his whole face brighten. "Paperwork? Is that what they're calling drinking these days?"

He laughed (gasped) when she grabbed a nearby pillow and 'lightly' threw it at him. Just as she was about to step out of his room, he called her name. "Yeah, what is it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"With all you've told me so far, I can't imagine you sending me over there all by myself. Who else is going to come with me?"

"Have a little faith in me, kid. It'll have someone who you can trust."

As soon as Tsunade closed the door behind her, Naruto lay back in bed and closed his eyes. He had a lot to think about.

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The rest of Naruto's recovery was a slow and tedious process. For the first day he had felt incredibly weak and tired, but to some extent that had been expected. Drawing on large amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra typically left him that way, and he knew that he had bitten off more than he could chew during his fight with Sasuke. He had never taken so much of the fox's power out at once. After a day, the feeling usually went away; this time it stuck with him for a far longer period of time.

Although he didn't like using the foul chakra, he also knew that it was his greatest asset in a tight situation. As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't have survived for half as long as he had if it hadn't been for either the fox's healing properties or its chakra.

It was a rough wakeup call when he realized just how weak he became when he was cut off from the fox's chakra. His greatest asset could turn into his greatest weakness if he went up against someone who had the power to tamper with his seal. Naruto knew that at least three of those people wouldn't mind seeing him dead- Sasuke, Itachi, and Orochimaru. He knew that he would have to come to terms with the fact that some of his enemies could completely incapacitate him while he was in that form without much effort.

It was especially frustrating because he had no idea how to fight something like the Sharingan. He needed answers, and he knew just the place to start looking for them.

Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. He pushed all but one thought aside- that of the Kyuubi. He repeated the fox's name almost as if it were a mantra, until finally, after more than fifteen minutes, the fox responded to his incessant calls. He found himself standing in front of a cage that was a thousand times his size but that was kept shut by a piece of paper no bigger than his forearm.

Two crimson eyes, each one fiercer than the eye of a storm, stared down at him. They saw through his body and bore into his soul, carefully judging him and his movements. These weren't the fury filled eyes that he normally came into contact with. There was not a shred of anger – or any other emotion, for that matter – in them. These eyes were calculating and cold.

And just as those eyes saw into his being, so too did he see into the eyes of the demon. He saw that the fox's image was nothing more than a façade. What he saw beneath the ugliness of the fox's outward hatred disturbed him more than he would care to admit. There was an age old intellect beneath those eyes, something that no human could even begin to comprehend. Whatever was lurking behind the demonic visage of the Nine-Tailed Fox had been conceived long before the human race was formed and would live long after its last remnants faded to dust. .

The few times he had spoken with the fox, he had come in contact with a rage-filled entity that was too powerful for words to describe. However, due to its rage, the fox had been predictable, and Naruto could guess which buttons he had to push to get what he needed. But today, he realized that he had broken a sacred shinobi rule- to never assume. The eyes that stared down at him belied all of his previous assumptions and expectations.

And those horrible, horrible eyes, which had seen things which he couldn't possibly imagine, had found something of interest in a thirteen year old, upstart Genin.

The longer he stayed under their spell, the more he felt feelings of anger, loneliness, and suffering come to the forefront of his mind. Each instance of pain began to replay itself in front of his eyes, over and over.

Eternity could have crept by, and he wouldn't have noticed it.

Naruto wasn't one to feel fear, but all he wanted to do now was to curl up into a little ball and shut himself away from the rest of the world. But the gods were merciful. The eyes finally closed, letting him out of their spell. Naruto found himself on his hands and knees inhaling one lungful after another of the filthy sewer air. He didn't taste any of it though; he could have been breathing the crisp mountain air of Lightning Country and he wouldn't have noticed the difference.

**"This irony is not lost upon me," **the fox muttered in a deep voice that echoed throughout the halls of its prison.

"W-what are you ta-talking about?" Naruto managed to get out in-between taking breaths of air. He was still trying to recover from whatever had just occurred between the two of them.

The demon's eyes met his, but this time without their monstrous intensity. **"You will understand in due time. It is not my place to tell you these things."**

Naruto took the fox's word for it. He wasn't about to push an issue after what had just happened. "I came here," he began slowly, making an effort to form his words, "to ask you a few questions."

**"And what makes you think I have the answers that you seek?"**

"Because my questions have to do with the Uchiha," Naruto replied. He felt the ground beneath him rumble and saw the Kyuubi shift its massive body from side to side. "What are you doing?" he hesitantly asked.

**"No."**

"Eh? Why not yes?"

**"Because even if I told you, there would be nothing you would be able to do about it. You are weak."**

A shred of his old attitude returned to Naruto. "Weak?! You stupid fox look at who's behind the cage!"

The fox replied without missing a beat,** "A temporary setback. The seal will break when you die- possibly sooner- and I will be free to regenerate. And if I recall correctly, you were not the one who put me in here."**

Naruto was thrown off slightly. He had come to this place expecting a rage filled demon, not an intelligent one. Anger was easier to manipulate than intelligence. He was sure that the fox would give him some shred of information about the Uchiha clan because of how much it seemed to despise them. He had not anticipated this roadblock.

"If I die then you die, Kyuubi. I thought that was the basis of our previous deal. Why don't you want to prolong your own survival?"

**"As long as there is hatred in this world, I will live."**

Naruto was beginning to grow frustrated. "If it were that simple, you wouldn't have lent me your chakra the first few times! What gives?"

**"I can give you my chakra, but what use is it against enemies that you cannot hope to touch? In your current state, you wouldn't last a moment against my enemy. Why should I waste my breath?"**

"Because information is a weapon stronger than any other," Naruto reiterated a lesson that he was slowly coming to learn.

A booming laugh filled the chamber. **"Wise words. But what shall you do with the information that I can give you?"**

"I will use it to my advantage when my enemy is near."

**"If that is the case, then everything I am willing to tell you today, you already know."**

Naruto sat down on the ground and began to think. He was curious about the Uchiha because the Sharingan was able to suppress, what was at present, the strongest tool in his disposal. He was also aware that the fox somehow knew about the Uchiha clan and abhorred its existence…Could it be?

"The Sharingan has some kind of power over you…If someone like Sasuke was able to suppress your chakra, then I can't imagine what someone as powerful as Itachi is capable of."

**"It takes a certain character to control a force of hatred."**

"But Sasuke couldn't control you. All he could do was seal your power away…"

**"Precisely."**

Naruto was silent for several long moments. "There's someone else out there who possesses the Sharingan. He is your enemy," he concluded.

**"No child, he is OUR enemy."**

A shiver ran down Naruto's spine as he thought about the implications of that statement. If the enemy had the fox as his target, then by default, Naruto was in the line of fire as well. He began to understand the fox's reasoning. While it was free, it was under the mercy of the Sharingan. But if the fox had a vessel, then it would have some measure of protection from those cursed eyes. If the vessel was strong enough, he would be able to take care of the fox's problem. He couldn't help but wonder if the fox had purposefully gotten itself sealed just to achieve these goals. But the thought of fighting a man who had the power to subjugate a tailed beast to his will was enough to keep his mind from wandering.

"By yourself there is nothing that you would be able to do against him. Same with me, I can't imagine myself being able to take him down anytime soon. Whether we want to or not, we _must _work together. Neither of our freedom is guaranteed until the Uchiha are eliminated."

This time, it was the fox who remained silent. Naruto watched with amazement as the fox contemplated his offer. It was definitely a sight to see, for the fox sat perfectly still with its eyes closed, its tails tracing intricate patterns in the musty air. He could only imagine what ancient gears were turning in the demon's head.

**"Sculpt your body and I shall sharpen your mind," **the fox answered eventually.

Naruto tried to keep the surprise from showing on his face. He hadn't expected the fox to agree to his terms, especially to such an extent. It was certainly an admirable offer on the fox's part, but it also brought to Naruto's attention just how badly it wanted to defeat its enemy.

"I...I can agree with those terms, Kyuubi. When do we start?"

**"Your first lesson has just concluded."**

This time, Naruto couldn't keep the dumbfounded look from his face. It hadn't occurred to him that the fox was forcing him to use his critical thinking skills throughout their entire discussion. "Thanks," was his reply. Just as with his conversation with Tsunade, he needed to mull over what he had just learned. Almost absentmindedly, he began to walk out of the chamber.

**"A word of advice."**

Naruto turned and gave the Kyuubi an inquisitive look.

**"If I were you, I'd start paying a little more attention to those Kage Bushin from now on."**

Naruto frowned but nodded nonetheless. He returned back to the world of the living wondering about about what Kyuubi had just instructed him to do.

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The rest of Naruto's stay in the hospital wasn't all that boring anymore.

After discovering the gem that was hiding within his favorite technique, he hadn't been able keep still. His mind was busy at work imagining all of the new ways that he could utilize Kage Bunshin.

Above all else, he realized the incredible impact that this would have on his training. If he was able to successfully retain the knowledge of even one clone successfully, then the amount of time he spent learning a new concept, style, or technique would be reduced by the amount of time that his clone had spent working on it.

Of course, his immediate instinct was to test the limits of the technique. However, since he was still not fully healed, he wasn't in a position to push the technique to its fullest potential.

He had learned quickly though, that he shouldn't dispel too many clones at once. The massive influx of information was too much for his mind to handle at once and he was left with a painful headache. At present, he was able to have up to ten clones working on a highly specified task. However, if the task were simpler and didn't require much thought, like chakra control, for example, then the number of clones could be raised to a more respectable sum. Naruto was confident that with enough training he would be able increase these rates even further.

Besides experimenting with his Kage Bunshin, Naruto had also regained enough strength to begin walking around on his own. He found that after his conversation with Kyuubi that his injuries had once again begun to heal at an unprecedented rate. Whatever hold Sasuke had placed over his chakra was now gone.

Naruto had used his increased mobility to visit the hospitalized members of the team that had left for the Valley of the End. He found that it was just as Tsunade had said. He, alongside with Neji and Choji had suffered the worst injuries. Neji had taken two arrows to his body, one to his chest and another to his side. Choji, on the other hand, had nearly overdosed on his family's pills and now looked like a skeleton compared to his former self. Both were still unconscious, but were going to survive.

He had also visited Kiba, who was also awake and anxious to leave as soon as possible. He had been injured, but not seriously. Akamaru had taken a worse beating and he was currently being treated in the Inuzuka compound. Naruto noticed Kiba's weariness right away and decided to take a couple of hours out of his day to keep him company. They ended up discussing their respective fights as well as the conditions of the other members of their team. They were in the middle of a game of cards when Shikamaru made a surprise appearance.

Both boys laughed when they found out that Shikamaru had only broken his finger during the combat. Shikamaru merely scowled at them but joined in on their fun. Naruto found that Shikamaru felt guilty about the failed mission, and he quickly reassured him that he shouldn't feel bad. He told Shikamaru that this was the first mission where they were independent of their sensei's and that this had been Shikamaru's first as commander. Naruto reassured the boy that everyone, including himself, would make a full recovery and that things weren't as bad as they seemed. His words had a visible impact on the lazy genius, and Naruto could tell that a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Of his old sensei or Sakura there was no sign. He heard from Tsunade that Kakashi had been sent on an emergency mission. Sakura had no excuse, and her absence hurt him more than he would have liked to admit. But he knew as soon as he had woken up that things would never be how they once were among the members of Team 7. He wouldn't even know what to say to them even if they had shown up.

Before Naruto knew it, another day had passed, and he was preparing for Iruka's funeral. He almost completely recovered, with only a slight soreness in his side. He wore the same black cloak that he wore to the Sandaime's funeral.

When he arrived, he found that there were only about a dozen or so people there. The funeral was a quiet affair. Iruka was commended for his services to the village and for being an admirable Academy teacher. Naruto had trouble concentrating on what was being said, and constantly found himself glancing at the closed coffin where the body of his friend was laid out. He promised himself that Iruka's death wouldn't be for nothing. He would bring Sasuke back to this village, dead or alive.

The funeral ended, and so did the rest of Naruto's day. He spent the rest of his time in the hospital in a somber mood. The memories of the good times that he had with Iruka were outweighed by thoughts of the Uchiha who had taken his life.

Before he knew it, he was cleared from the hospital, fully healed and ready for his first official day of leave.

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Naruto met his overseer the moment he stepped out of the hospital. The man introduced himself as Yamato and Naruto's first impression of him was that he seemed friendly enough. Yamato had brown hair and black eyes and looked to be somewhere in his late twenties. If Yamato had been in a room full of people, Naruto would not have been able to pick him out. As strange as it was, the most distinctive feature about the man was the shape of his forehead protector, which Naruto thought he had seen somewhere before.

Yamato told Naruto that he had taken the liberty of preparing the necessary supplies that they would need to last them a month. Everything had been sealed into a series of scrolls and packed into two small knapsacks for convenience.

As soon as initial introductions were out of the way, the two began their journey South. It was a day's travel by tree hopping and the duo made quick time. They were planning on reaching their destination by sundown. Naruto wanted to get there quickly because he wanted to begin his training as soon as possible. He had only the briefest of ideas of what exactly he would do, but he had a whole mental list of things he needed to work on.

If worse came to worst, he could always bug Yamato to help him out. Although he didn't know the man's official rank, he could tell by the way he moved that he wasn't some run of the mill shinobi. The man was sturdy but moved with a grace that Naruto had only seen displayed by Kakashi. The man seemed to have an aura of authority and power that regular shinobi lacked.

It was nearly the end of the day when the pair found itself in a part of the forest that was so dense that they had to slow down to a mere walk just to get through. The trees had steadily been growing thicker the further they got to their destination and by now they were so large that the diameter of the average tree trunk was larger than the length of a grown man's arm.

Naruto had never been to this part of Fire Country before, so the scenery came as something of a surprise. He had some slight difficulties in maneuvering but he refused to show Yamato that he was having problems. He trudged on in silence, concentrating on simply putting one foot in front of the other.

"We're getting close," Yamato finally said.

Naruto gave him an inquisitive look. "This guy must have really liked living in the middle of nowhere."

Yamato shook his head in reply. "It hasn't always been this way. Only certain people have the ability to enter this cabin, and none of them have done so in a long time, so the area has become unruly. The power of the Shodaime was immeasurable. The plants here grow stronger and faster than anywhere else in Fire Country because they feed off of the echoes of that power."

It was becoming almost too dark to navigate, but the two ninja pushed on, eager to reach their destination before nightfall. The surroundings only seemed to get denser and wilder the further they went. Naruto had the vague impression that they were walking towards the eye of the storm- or forest, in this case.

Eventually, they broke through, and in the fleeting light of the setting sun, Naruto saw the single largest tree he had ever seen in his life. It was a magnificent sight to behold. The trunk of the tree was easily at least three times the length of Naruto's body, and he couldn't help but admire it for a few moments. The trunk rose several yards up from the ground and firmly placed on top of it was a relatively modest single story cabin.

Upon closer inspection, Naruto realized that he wasn't so much looking at a cabin as at a hollowed out tree that had been made habitable through immeasurable hours of hard work. It was a grotesque piece of architecture to behold.

While Naruto was observing his new home for the next month, Yamato went about preparing the procedure to enter the cabin. Only those of Senju blood were capable of entering, and luckily they both met that condition. He was (un)fortunate enough to possess the genes of the Shodaime, while the Uzumaki clan was a distant relative of the Senju. It had been for this simple reason that Yamato was sent on this month long, S-rank mission. He would have to supervise and observe the young jinchuuriki while his mental state recovered, all the while protecting him from the remote threat of an attack from Akatsuki.

The entrance procedure was surprisingly easy, given that one possessed the ability to use Mokuton jutsu. Yamato performed a series of handseals and then slammed his open palms into the trunk of the tree that would serve as home for the next month. The entire structure rumbled at the force of the impact and a door slowly began to appear where his hands had hit.

Yamato beckoned Naruto to follow him, and together they entered through the pathway.

Immediately in front of them was a spiral staircase, wide enough for both of them to walk up side by side. They proceeded with a degree of caution, watching in fascination as the lanterns that hung alongside the walls began to glow with a soft blue light the moment they walked past them.

At the end of the staircase, the pair walked into a large room that seemed to be a living room, bedroom, and kitchen all meshed into one. On one side of the room was a makeshift kitchen along with a few cabinets. At the center there stood a single large kotatsu table. On the other side of the room was a large bed with a beautiful wooden finish. Naruto imagined that it must have looked more habitable several long decades ago, but now that it was bare of any furnishings the place looked cold and unwelcoming. The inky black shadows of the neighboring trees danced on the floor and caused Naruto no small amount of trepidation. Shodaime or not, Naruto could only imagine what kind of anti-social shell of a person had once lived here.

"Reminds me of home!" Yamato explained happily and threw his belongings on the bed. "Seniority gets the bed. Tough luck, kid."

Naruto opened his mouth but then closed it a moment later. Ignorance is bliss.

They explored the rest of the area. Upon finding nothing left behind by the previous inhabitants, and after putting up some precautionary security seals on the perimeter the two shinobi began to settle in for bed. It had been a long day and they had pushed hard. They deserved some rest.

But lying in his sleeping bag on the other side of the room from Yamato, Naruto found that he had trouble sleeping. The shadows that only seemed bothersome at first now made him restless. The wind that was blowing from the outside was howling against the cabin and it sent a chill down Naruto's spine whenever he heard the resilient _creak_ of the ancient wooden structrue. Then there was the _smell_. He hadn't noticed it at first, but the longer the night drew on, the more prevalent the scent became. It smelled like a mixture of lavender and honey, and it was grating on his nerves.

Eventually, he threw off his sleeping bag and began to pace the room in frustration.

The events of the past few weeks came to mind again and wouldn't leave. He was assaulted by the feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness that had plagued him in the past, and like always, they began to drive him over the edge. He wanted to hit something, to leave his mark on the cruel world he lived in, but there was nothing in the room worth destroying. With a furious growl, he raised his hands, preparing to take his anger out on the table that stood in the center of the room.

And then, the strangest thing happened. Letters began to appear the surface of the table that he was about to destroy.

He blinked at first, thinking that he was seeing things. But after clearing his eyes, he noticed that even more of the strange markings began to appear on the ceiling. The letters were written in a sort of serpentine script and were glowing a pale shade of green. They felt familiar to Naruto, but he couldn't seem to read them completely. He squinted his eyes and tried to examine the letters more closely. Something in the back of his mind was screaming at him, telling him that success was within his grasp. He was so close, but he felt like he was missing the one crucial piece of the puzzle…

"Channel chakra into your eyes."

If it hadn't been for years of conditioning, Naruto would have jumped. Instead, he used the sudden rush of adrenaline to take out a kunai and fling it into the direction of the unfamiliar voice. In the same moment he caught a glimpse of his enemy, a man wearing the cloak of Akatsuki. At that moment, he steeled his mind to the fact that he would not be leaving this room alive.

His kunai was caught in midair, but the man only raised his hand, signalling for him to stop. There was power in the gesture, and Naruto, despite his instincts yelling at him to run, complied.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Pein," replied the monotonous voice in return...

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As always, Naruto isn't my creation and I own nothing associated with it.

Sooo. Another chapter. I know it isn't the most exciting, but it covered a lot of necessary bases. The next chapter should have a little more action. I'll try to have it out within the next two weeks. Let me know what you guys think!


	4. Part I: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I am Pein," replied the monotonous voice in return.

"Pein," Naruto repeated, letting the name roll off his tongue as he examined the man in front of him.

Pein was unlike any ninja that Naruto had ever seen before. He had a long face, with hollow cheeks and a strong chin. Pein's hair was a dull shade of orange that reminded Naruto of his own, for it was also spiky and unruly. It was kept from getting into his eyes by a slashed Ame forehead protector that hung across his forehead. Along his mouth, ears, and nose there were at least a dozen piercings which were filled with some type of black material that Naruto couldn't recognize. The rest of the man's body was covered by the standard Akatsuki cloak, but Naruto got the impression that underneath, the man had a wiry frame that was built primarily for speed.

But Naruto only processed the most notable of these observations and filed everything else to the back of his mind. He was too busy focusing on another feature of the powerful shinobi – his eyes. Pein had the most remarkable eyes he had ever seen on a person. The entire eye – including the pupil, iris, and sclera – was the same grayish shade of blue, and there were concentric black circles surrounding the pupil. If Naruto could compare the eyes to something, he would say that they looked like the ripples of a pond after a rock was thrown in the center. They were scrutinizing eyes, and Naruto got the impression that there was little that they couldn't see. This man was certainly trouble, and not in the least because of the aura of power that he gave off.

"You're not like the other Akatsuki," said Naruto, voicing his thoughts. "I don't know how you managed to bypass the security seals or what you've done to Yamato-sempai, but this is as far as you'll go," he remarked with bravado. He knew that he didn't stand a chance against a typical Akatsuki member, let alone this one, but he was sure as hell that he wouldn't go down without a fight.

As if reading Naruto's thoughts, Pein shook his head. "I am not here for the Kyuubi – I have come in peace. However, it remains to be said that what we shall speak of is for your ears only. As such, I have taken the necessary measures to ensure a certain privacy of conversation."

Naruto cast a doubtful look in Pein's direction. "So you're not here to kidnap me?" he wondered aloud. "What's with the change of heart?"

A small smile appeared on the man's thin lips. "By the end of this conversation, there will be no need to kidnap you," was the simple reply.

Instead of answering, Naruto moved backwards until he had the large table separating himself from Pein. His eyes never left the watchful gaze of the Akatsuki member. "If you're so sure about that, then let me hear what you've got to say."

Pein remained silent as he too approached the table. Naruto tensed at the movement, but kept still. He watched with rapt attention as Pein ran a hand down ran a hand down the script that was still shining as brightly as ever. "It is a beautiful sight, is it not?"

Naruto frowned and took another look at the script. Sure it looked nice, but he didn't think that that was what Pein was referring to. He decided to take the man's earlier advice, and added a miniscule amount of chakra into his eyes.

There were only a few moments in his entire life that Naruto remembered with perfect clarity, and he dimly noted that this would forever remain one of those moments. The wooden structure of the cabin began to _bend _around him. The walls started to fold in on themselves and the air around him began _spin _in every direction until all of the colors of the cabin began to blend into one. A faraway thought called out to him…

_…yelling at him, telling him to run, for there was evil living in this terrible place._

_His hands were trembling and his mind was moving at a mile a minute. Doubt was slowly beginning to take root underneath his calm exterior, spreading its poisonous whispers throughout his subconscious. The distinct smell of blood attacking his nostrils was nearly the last straw. If he were a lesser man, he would have pulled away from the entrance of the cave then and there. But he had made a promise to rid the area of this terror, and he was not one to go back on his word. With a heavy air about him, he slowly and quietly worked up his courage. _

_With his teeth clenched shut, he moved ahead. He ignored the fact that the walls of the cave were the color of dark roses and he refused to acknowledge that the brittle material underneath his feet was most likely human bones. He steadfastly kept his gaze set on what was in front of him and nothing else. The only outward sign of his internal tension was his swifter gait and his longer steps. _

_No matter how much mental fortitude he displayed, he couldn't help but notice that the further he went, the stronger his uneasiness became. A repressing feeling of dread began to press down on him from every direction. He had felt this exact same feeling in similar areas that he had cleared before, so it wasn't exactly anything new, but it still sent a chill down his spine. To add to his apprehension, he could tell that this particular cave had been around for a long period of time. Whatever evil was lurking in here was old, possibly even older than himself._

_He began hearing noises. They began as mere snaps and cracks but slowly evolved into growls and croons. It was only when he heard the distinct sound of laughter did he begin to realize that he was listening to human beings. The laughter increased in volume and pitch the deeper he walked in the cave. It grated on his nerves and disgusted him, but because the voices weren't attacking him, he didn't attack them either. He could see why no one else had bothered to confront this terror in the recent past._

_By now he had reached a point where there was no longer any light shining through and the cave was pitch black. Even his eyes couldn't see through the thick darkness, but luckily he was able to make out the dim outlines of the weak auras that the beings around him were giving off. They were nothing more than regular humans, he realized, but he also noted that they were clearly under some sort of influence. They wouldn't pose much of a threat if they attacked. _

_He knew the type of creature who lived in this cave. It was a being who fed on the fear of others. The more fear it was able to generate from its surrounding constituency, the more powerful it would become. He could tell that this particular nightmare had been around for a long while because it had begun drawing followers. The mindless humans surrounding him were people who were drawn by the nightmare's alluring mix of power and hatred. The only bright side of this situation seemed to be that the nightmare hadn't begun to spawn any 'children'. That would have been a terror above his present ability to combat. _

_The voices were all around him now, but none dared to approach. He was still moving at a purposeful pace, and they were following him with a wide berth. The darkness around him had become was so thick that he could practically feel it pressing against his skin. _

_His lack of sight had caused his other senses to be thrown into overdrive. Therefore, he wasn't surprised when he caught the smell of sulfur begin to mix with the stench of blood far before he noticed any visible change in surroundings. His fear began to give way to a wave of calm rationality as he began to come within distance of his target. Soon he would meet the nightmare and soon they would fight. Of the outcome, he was unsure. _

_The voices were becoming even more manic than before, and they were beginning to spread out. He was no longer in the narrow cave of before. _

_It was here in this open room that he finally caught his first glimpse of the beast that he would be fighting. It possessed a titanic frame, with two large arms and legs and a muscled torso that was easily twice as thick as his own. He couldn't see the head, for the beast had its back to him, but he guessed that it was just as hideous as the rest of its body. _

_A dark red light surrounded the beast like a cloak. The light bled into the beast's immediate surroundings and it illuminated the piles upon piles of bones that lay on the hard ground as well as the deformed faces of the screaming figures. He almost let out the contents of his stomach when he saw the hairless and toothless faces contort in ecstasy when the red light shined upon them. The high pitched screams intensified as the figures began to fight amongst each other for a chance to bask in the vile energy given off by the beast. _

_Even at this distance, he couldn't handle any more. He wasted no time in calling upon fire. All things were weak against fire. _

_His hands moved through a practiced set of motions as they molded the rage he was feeling in his soul with the torrential energy that was flowing through his body._

_The beast sensed his presence as soon as he began to mold his energy. It turned its massive body and let out a ferocious, commanding roar that sent a tremble through the cave. The screaming hellspawn responded immediately by charging at him from every direction_

_He replied with a battle cry of his own that was just as guttural as the beast's. He slammed a fist into the solid rock beneath him and a shockwave of fire exploded around him. The scorching flame was a physical representation of his fury, and it sought out his targets with a mind of its own. Flesh and bone alike were incinerated under the intense heat, and the flames continued devouring everything in their path. But despite being burned alive, the humans continued to release their screams of pleasure, which were now far more intense than ever before. _

_The smell of charred flesh stung his nostrils, but he remained poised in a defensive stance, patiently waiting for what was to come. The room had grown silent except for the occasional crackling of the fading fire that he had unleashed. _

_There was a hint of movement deep within the smoke, and a moment later the beast burst through, aiming a monstrous hand straight for his throat. He caught the arm a moment before it touched him and forcefully redirected it to his left. At the same time, he smashed an elbow into the beast's face and was rewarded with a resounding, wet crack. As the beast was recovering from the impact, he let go of its arm, and with a scream of, "Shinra Tensai!" threw a punch straight to its diaphragm. _

_The beast was thrown to the other side of the room with such violent force that its body made an audible 'thump' when it hit the wall on the opposite side of the room. _

_It was only when he saw that the beast wasn't going to get up did he allow himself to relax after the intense excursion of effort. While he was catching his breath, his eyes scanned the rest of the cave for any signs of life. As far as he could tell, there was no other living being in here. With his deed complete, turned to leave, but froze when he heard movement._

_"WATCH OUT!"_

_It was through instinct alone that he threw his body out of the way of the blade that tore through the warm air of where his body just stood. He caught a glimpse of the new figure that had attacked him but couldn't make out any distinctive features. He felt more than he saw that the figure was ensconced in a thick layer of some sort of inky, black energy. Even to his advanced eyes, the figure looked like nothing more than a shadow that was just marginally darker than the rest of the cave. _

_Before he could scrutinize the figure any further it disappeared back into the darkness. This was a whole new animal in front of him. His previous observation that there were no children in the cave had been wrong. The beast that he had just killed _was _the child – he was now fighting the parent. Now he understood why the cave had such a heavy darkness about it. This was most likely the parent's primary element. _

_His train of thought trailed off, as his mind focused on finding a way to simply survive. He spun his head from side to side, trying in vain to predict where the figure would appear next. But despite his efforts he could not sense the figure's presence anywhere in the cave. It was able to blend with the shadows too closely for his eyes to make out its appearance, and it moved without creating any sound or leaving behind any scent. _

_He was nearly at a loss on what to do when the voice interrupted again, "ABOVE!"_

_Realizing that he had no other alternative but to listen, he reacted with haste. His hands went through a lightning quick set of motions and his foot tapped the ground. Two thick slabs of Earth shot up from either side of him and covered the area above his head, just as the figure struck again. The moment its sword pierced into his defense, his hands moved through another set of motions and the Earth hardened to the point where the sword became wedged in place. With a howl, the beast released the weapon and attempted to fold back into the darkness. _

_But he had expected that, and he had already prepared his next technique. He breathed in a massive lungful of air and blew a heavy fireball in the figure's direction _

_It wasn't able to dodge the direct attack, so it merely waved its hands and the darkness responded to its call. Shadows from all over the room assaulted the fireball, greedily eating away the light that was given off until not even a flicker of fire remained. _

_He stared in amazement. The fact that he was fighting a being capable of controlling darkness was surprising, but the fact that it had such control over it was simply remarkable. He had always imagined himself as being the only one capable of such feats. Clearly, not everything was as it seemed. _

_He jumped back and re-evaluated the situation. The beast travelled through darkness and appeared without leaving any smell or sound. It managed to blend completely with the shadows, making it extremely difficult for even his eyes to distinguish it from the surroundings. Any source of light he provided was quickly eaten up by the shadows. Given that, he knew that he needed a source of light to determine the figure's location in order to combat it and provide some measure of defense. He had two ways of creating light, and the first way – with fire – was out of the question. He had already used more fire than he was comfortable using in such an enclosed space, and he was already finding the air a little thin to breathe. There was also the voice of warning that had alerted him, but because it wasn't currently a threat, he would ignore it for now. _

_The beast stepped out of sight once more, and he at once realized what he had to do. Of all the elements that he was working on cultivating, lightning was proving the most difficult to subject to his will. The bothersome affinity was just as fleeting as its real life counterpart. It was difficult to pin down, and whenever he managed to get even that far, he had trouble keeping the energy in a stable form. The energy was always fighting to break free of his will, and he always found himself exerting an exorbitant amount of effort to keep it from completely running amok. _

_Today would have to be different though. Today he would succeed. He had no other way of fighting back short of bringing the entire cave down to the ground._

_There was an unfamiliar movement underneath his feet and he immediately jumped out of the way. A single black tendril shot out of where he had stood moments before. The pesky arm looped around and shot towards him again. _

_But this time, it was he who initiated the attack. With his eyes glowing the same shade of blue as the condensed lightning energy that surrounded his hands, he dodged underneath the claw and struck it with the palm of his hand. There was a brilliant flash of white light and the clawed hand was no more. _

_He performed another quick set of hand motions and let a concentrated burst of energy explode from his body. The charged energy lit up the cave for a few crucial seconds, but, more importantly, it served as a sensor for the location of the demon. _

_The moment his energy wave touched the demon's flesh, it let out a piercing screech, and commanded the darkness to wrap around itself. The shadows responded to its call and immediately formed a protective cloak around its frame. _

_He wasted no time. He threw his arms in the direction of the figure, and pulled it towards himself. The figure resisted with unearthly might, trying miserably to jump into the surrounding shadows. But his will was superior, and the figure continued in a straight path towards him._

_When the figure was finally upon him, he roughly grabbed its head with both hands, and pushed surge upon surge of electricity through its body. The figure convulsed violently, but even so, it still attempted to break his grip with its long arms. But he remained immovable, and soon the figure lost all of its strength. He gave the head a sharp twist, just to make sure that it was truly dead, before finally letting go._

_Instead of falling, the body merely melted back into the ground, leaving nothing but a small puddle of darkness behind. A slight chill ran up his spine when he saw that. This was the third such area he had disassembled in the past two weeks. He had expected complications, but not so soon. The presence of a 'child' was more alarming than he would have cared to admit. All of the information that he had gathered on this particular hideout had pointed to a much weaker inhabitant. Instead, he came across both a child and its parent. Power like that took time to grow. He had been set up, and if it hadn't been for his mysterious helper, he would have perished._

_He turned his attention to the direction where he had last heard the voice scream its warning. He had ignored the source during the fight, but now, he was more than a little curious about how the person had survived both the tempting chakra of the beast and his own fiery assault on the perimeter._

_He walked slowly so as to not raise alarm, but he also kept his guard up. _

_Even though he had killed both the parent and its child, remnants of their energy still lingered, and would continue to linger for years. This meant that the overwhelming darkness wasn't going to go away any time soon. No matter how hard he tried to see the one who had helped him survive, he couldn't even so much as make out his or her shape. This only served to heighten his curiosity even further, for the only ones who could escape his sight were those whose power was at least on par with the figure he had just killed._

_"The beast is gone now... I won't hurt you," he said to the air. He continued to wander the cave patiently, waiting for some sort of response._

_There was a shimmer of light and the soft rustle of clothes. He turned his head to the sound and watched a small girl step out form the nearby darkness. She was a tiny thing, with gaunt features and a bony frame that stood out all the more because of the rags that she wore. She had a pretty face with sandy brown hair that fell down past her shoulders, but it was hard to notice either of those features because of all the grime and dirt that covered them. She also happened to have the most peculiar green eyes he had ever seen in his entire life._

_She looked at him from underneath her bangs and he got the odd impression that he was being scrutinized. He tried to put on a reassuring smile and made his way towards her slowly, with his arms raised._

_"See, I have nothing up my sleeve," he reassured her. Her gaze softened, but only slightly. "Do you have a name?"_

_She shook her head, and he frowned. "Everyone has a name. How about I give you one until we can find out what yours is?"_

_She smiled, and he returned one back in turn. "How about Midori, then?" he suggested._

_The girl nodded approvingly. _

_"Come now, let's leave this place." _

The darkness of the cave began to clear away, as thousands of tiny tiles began folding in on themselves. In the place of the darkness, they left behind a golden light that also momentarily faded away. Slowly, the Shodaime's cabin returned into view, and Naruto once more found himself standing an arm's length away from Pein.

He raised his head and was met with a look of understanding. "That was incredible!" he said breathlessly. "Who was that? _What _was that?"

"The man you just witnessed was the Sage of the Six Paths, also remembered as the God of Shinobi. He brought peace to the world at a time when its people understood nothing but the language of war. And this…" he trailed off and ran a hand along the script, which had now become a mere engraving, "Is a message that he left behind to his successors."

Naruto quickly caught on to what Pein was implying, and suddenly the man's presence began to make sense. "You're implying that we are both his successors. As in plural; more than one," he said slowly.

"Believe me, I would have preferred there being only one," Pein deadpanned. "However, the appearance of another Rinnegan is something that cannot be ignored."

"So that's why you came," Naruto confirmed. "But how could you have possibly known that I had these eyes? I didn't even know about them until now."

"You performed a technique which only one with the Rinnegan could perform. I admit, I was caught off guard when I sensed that another had called upon it, and I immediately put all available resources into finding the one who had done it. Naturally, my search led me to you."

Perhaps it was caused by the stress, but a strange urge pushed Naruto into explaining his side of the story. "It must have happened during the fight in the Valley of the End," he began, carefully choosing his words. "I was blocked off from the Kyuubi's chakra and my target managed to put an assassination jutsu through my chest. I was sure at the time that I would die. I didn't want it to happen, and I wanted nothing more than to live…But my eyes were closing, no matter how hard I tried to keep them open. So I just accepted it," Naruto frowned as he thought back to the final moments of the fight and felt as if he had missed something. He felt like that something was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

Pein watched him closely, and only interrupted when Naruto trailed off. "What was the last thing you thought about before you died?"

It was a question that caught Naruto off guard. He understood that he had barely managed to survive his fight in the Valley of the End, but he had never thought that he had actually _died_ during the encounter. He figured Tsunade would have told him at least that much about his condition… His brows furrowed as his mind tried to churn out an answer.

"Let me answer for you," Pein continued, and slowly lifted his right hand.

Pain unlike what he had ever experienced exploded in Naruto's stomach and slowly crept upwards, up his esophagus and into his throat. Dimly, he realized that _something_ was being pushed up and out of his body. It was tearing his insides apart and leaving a hell of a mess behind. When the object was at his throat he began to cough, trying desperately to spit it out. His coughs gradually grew more violent until they had become full blown heaves. Driblets of blood sprayed on the table in front of him with each heave. His legs gave out, but he managed to break the fall by placing his elbows on the table the object was, it wasn't so large as to completely block out his air flow, but he still noticed his vision begin to darken from a lack of air.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Pein pull his hand and back, and with one final, desperate heave, he spat out a small, charcoal colored piece of shrapnel. In between trying to ignore the echoes of pain pulsating throughout his body and his fight to keep consciousness, Naruto noted that the metal piece looked eerily similar to the black metal that filled Pein's piercings.

"The technique you used to survive is certainly a double edged sword," Pein remarked to the recovering Naruto. "It leaves its mark on the user. Left by itself," he continued, picking up the piece that Naruto had just coughed up, "This piece is undetectable to every medicine, chakra, or doujutsu, save one. If I hadn't intervened, this piece would have fed on your chakra, slowly growing and causing you considerable pain and suffering, until finally your debt was paid off."

Naruto tried to formulate a reply, but found that his throat was still too sore to produce a sound. Instead, he mouthed his question to Pein. _"What debt?"_

"You died, yet you live. Your debt was to the Shinigami who granted you another chance at life."

_"Then why did you bother saving me? Doesn't helping me go against your – Akatsuki's – goals?"_

"My only goal is peace."

Despite his pain, Naruto found the energy to snort. "The only reason we don't have peace is because of you and your organization," he retorted in a whisper. He was surprised that he could formulate the words; the fox certainly worked fast.

Pein merely shook his head. "You are naïve if you think that there is peace in the world we live in," he replied bluntly. "The entire system of Hidden Villages is built on a foundation of war and deceit. Our very presence on this world is but a bloodstain on the pages of history."

"Even if that's true, you're still only perpetuating the cycle. Your actions lead to the violence that makes things so bad," Naruto retorted as he struggled to stand back up. His insides were still burning up, but the pain was gradually turning into a dull ache.

Naruto saw a crack form in Pein's demeanor, as a small smile appeared on his face. "You shall see, in time, that this is not the case. I am in no way perpetuating the cycle; I am the end of the cycle."

There was a tone of certainty in Pein's words that set Naruto on edge. He spoke like a man who had a plan and who would go to any lengths to see it through. No matter how ridiculous Pein's words sounded, he couldn't shake the curiosity that they awoke in him. The question of _what if_ echoed through his mind, but he furiously squashed it down when he remembered that this man was a member of _Akatsuki_ of all things. Regardless, he couldn't deny the fact that the man had a certain charisma about him. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Pein was a leader, and a terrifying one at that.

"You're wrong," Naruto said firmly. "Peace cannot be reached through conflict."

Pein nodded in agreement, "My point exactly. As long as Hidden Villages are allowed to exist, they will forever be in a perpetual race for glory, blind to all of the destruction they leave in their wake. They will kill, rape, torture, and destroy everything that stands in their way. But they will never break out of their pathetic bubble because every other Village will be doing the same exact thing. The end result is that no progress would be made and all of this cruelty would be for naught.

"But this insatiable bloodlust has a powerful foil – self-preservation. It says a lot about human kind, that it responds to pain far better than any other emotion and that it respects power above all else. When both come from the same being, they create an unstoppable force capable of doing unlimited good."

"But the amount of pain and power needed to affect such a large scope of people is beyond reason," Naruto concluded quietly. "The amount of life that would be lost is…it's incomprehensible…"

"The cost will be the same as with any other war," Pein retorted sharply. "But the peace that will follow will be unlike any other. It will be a peace fueled by the pain of a select few survivors. Only those people who have experienced the pain losing everything can understand the true meaning of the word peace. My peace, unlike any other, will be permanent."

"You're so reliant on pain that you forget about everything else. Your idea of peace is nothing but a form of slavery, and the people you hurt will strike back at the first sign of weakness. Your peace will only last as long as you do. You're forgetting to look at the other side of the coin too. Love is just as potent as pain, and a peace that is built through love will be stronger than a peace built on pain and fear.

Pein shook his head in reply. "The Sage worked on the concept of Love, and now look at the history that has followed in his wake. Through his noble intentions he paved the way for suffering and warfare."

Naruto had no answer to that. There had been three Great Shinobi Wars to date, and he had no idea how many more would follow under the existing system. Hidden Villages had been created as a result of war, functioned because of the threat of war, and existed until there was no longer any need for war. But Pein wanted to push war to such extremes that the resulting destruction would be insurmountable. Naruto trembled at the consequences that would cause. No matter how logical Pein sounded, he knew that the man's philosophy was wrong. If Pein was allowed to implement his plans, the entire world would suffer a wound too grievous to properly heal. The amount of lives lost and the amount of devastation caused was simply incomprehensible. He had to be stopped, no matter the cost.

"You doubt my words, but in time you shall see. As the vessel of the Kyuubi, you have a better understanding of the pain that I am referring to."

"Life in Konoha hasn't been all smiles and laughter, I admit, but it's my village and I have a duty to protect it. I'll win the respect of the villagers, and one day I'll become their Hokage. I'll change things from the way they are now."

"Noble intentions for one so young. But what you don't realize is that you are nothing more than a tool that is to be used for the good of the village. When you are released with the order to kill, you will do as you are told. You will deal your own version of justice on your enemies through your deeds, and because of this, you will inevitably promote the cycle of hatred. People will grow to resent you and they will refuse to negotiate with you. You can fight with all of your might, but you will forever be an arm's length away from achieving the goal of ultimate peace because of the bitterness that others feel towards you. It is an all or nothing battle; you must either dedicate your entire being to the goal, or die a failure. There is no middle ground as you may hope."

Naruto wanted to refute the statement, but he knew that he would be lying both to Pein and himself. The entire reason for this whole trip was so that certain factors in the village could relax their temptations for using him as a weapon. He also couldn't deny the fact that if he was ordered to protect his village, that he would do so in a heartbeat. The act would inevitably lead deaths, and like Pein said, it would only further serve to perpetuate the cycle of hatred.

"In the world we live in today, people are only truly at peace when they are at war. Everything before war is merely preparation for what is about to occur, and everything after war is merely acceptance of what has come. The Hidden Village is a machine whose gears run smoothest during a conflict. Peace dulls these gears. To keep things running efficiently, war is a necessity that cannot be avoided."

Naruto remained silent, preferring to simply listen to what Pein was saying. He was beginning to see that the man's arguments were simply stronger and better thought out than his own. He had no way of changing the mind of a man so set in his ways with what he currently had at his disposal.

"As I have said, I am not here tonight to cause conflict. I am merely here out of respect for the power that you have been granted and which is fully at your disposal. Do not underestimate the power of these eyes; they are capable of creating or destroying _anything_ you set your mind upon. I do not expect you to accept my views, however, I do imagine that I have turned your sights in the right direction. I am curious to see the path your growth shall take, and the changes that you will create in this world."

Naruto had questions upon questions that he wanted to ask this man, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to give this man the impression that his words had affected him in any way. He couldn't neglect the fact that Akatsuki was still his enemy, and it still wanted to capture him.

"I shall leave you with this. Tonight, I have come to you as a friend, bearing you no ill will. The next time our paths cross, we may view each other as friends or as enemies. I warn you now that I shall not show you a shred of compassion if we are on opposite sides of the battlefield. I shall be curious to see your growth in the coming years. The genjutsu on this cabin shall last until sunrise."

The figure of Pein began to glimmer out of existence, but just before he was fully gone, he whispered, "Goodbye, Uzumaki Naruto," and disappeared. The cottage was silent once more, with no sign that there had ever been a third occupant.

Naruto pondered the mysterious disappearance for a moment before his thoughts moved on to more relevant topics. Too much had occurred for him to be bothered by something as simple as this disappearance.

As flawed as he imagined Pein's philosophy to be, he couldn't deny that the man had brought up some valid points. Even though he was still in the first year of his shinobi career, Naruto could understand where Pein was coming from when he said that a village's main purpose was war. Shinobi were taught from a young age that their purpose was to serve and protect, and they were expected to fully carry out their duty in order for their village to prosper. This line of work, no matter the intentions, would always lead to one side suffering.

If every Hidden Village operated in the same way as Konoha (and Naruto had little doubt about that), then the power struggles and the cries for war were everywhere at the same time. The only way to escape the reality of the world he lived in was to leave the system completely…

A part of him already realized what his next logical step had to be, but he felt that he had to rationalize it to himself first.

For as long as he could remember, his main goal in life had been to become the Hokage of the village. He loved the village he lived in, even when it didn't love him back. He had been making steady progress since he made Genin, and he knew that he was slowly earning the respect of his fellow shinobi. He was steadily inching towards his goal, and it drew a smile to his face, simply thinking about it.

But the more he thought about the position of Hokage, the more he thought about what the job entailed. It was more than a simple internal position in the village's governance. As Hokage, he would be an international leader, and it would be his duty to promote peace or war as was necessary for the betterment of the village as a whole.

He was prepared to do anything and everything that was necessary in order to protect his village and his precious people, but he knew that the best way to do that would be to prevent conflict from occurring in the first place. But like Pein had said, Hidden Villages were the leading cause of conflict, for all of their actions were in preparation for war.

The title of Hokage was certainly a powerful position, but its power rested primarily in the strength of Konoha. As Hokage he would be able to spread his will as far the boundaries of the Land of Fire. Anything past those borders was the domain of the other Kage. He would have no way of influencing their opinions, for they had their own villages and people to protect.

If he wanted to both keep his friends safe and promote peace on a global scale, he would have to leave the system and act as an independent third party. To make things right, he would have to attack the problem at its would be labeled as a traitor, but all of his actions would be for the greater good.

He toyed with this last thought for a while longer than the rest.

The greater good… He liked how that sounded.

Everything he would do now would be for the greater good. He hoped that his precious people wouldn't look down on him too much when they found out. Perhaps with time, they would understand.

He took one last look at the sleeping figure of Yamato and softly shook his head. Even when resting, the man looked as rigid as a board. Naruto hoped he would look more relaxed when he passed on.

"Sorry about this, Sempai," he muttered before he took out a kunai and cleanly ran it across his overseer's throat. Blood immediately began to gush out from the wound, but Naruto didn't bother to look. He was already on the other side of the room picking up the scroll that held his portion of the supplies that Yamato had packed. Once he stored the scroll in his jacket, he took one last look around the cottage before he jumped out of one of the windows and disappeared into the night.

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As always, Naruto isn't my creation and I own nothing associated with it.

So the first part of this story is complete. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Pein was an annoying character to write, and it was hard to pinpoint his personality. I hope I did him some justice. Let me know what you guys think!

Unfortunately, I'll be traveling for the next few weeks, so I probably won't be able to churn out a chapter until at least the end of the month. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope I'll make up for it with some badassery. Naruto and his new eyes are certainly going to be going to some interesting places if I have anything to say about it.


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